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Vertical Grip

so anyway i picked one up on Saturday cause the guy at The Sony Store gave me 20% off and an extra battery as well. Got it both for $265 CAD.
it's not like the A900s VC which does not require you to disassemble the battery door however it is pretty easy to slide the spring and pop it out.

so far i don't know how i did without it, it makes the camera feel much better especially with the flash mounted.
my pinky had nowhere to rest before the VC now i can rest a 6th finger if i had one.

and i'm shooting more in portrait mode now as opposed to only the handful i ever did without it.

the VC and battery must have been old stock cause the box for the VC listed only A200 and the battery listed only A700. but the part number is the same just in case anyone was wondering or encounter the same issue.

It takes a long shoot to wipe out a battery in the α700. Actually several. I am pretty impressed with it ... but, I totally agree that a vertical grip makes the camera into a much more "grippable" (a non-word, excuse me) and controllable unit. As much as people complain about an increase in weight ... when it isn't in the lens, but in your fist ... it is much more agreeable.

All my camera bodies have the vertical grip, save one ... the Maxxum7000 ... which has its film advance and rewind system built in. Now, that puppy could eat some batteries ... 7x 36-shot rolls ... and it was all done! It definitely could have used a "BP."

Don Schap - BFA, Digital Photography A Photographer Is ForeverLook, I did not create the optical laws of the Universe ... I simply learned to deal with them.
Remember: It is usually the GLASS, not the camera (except for moving to Full Frame), that gives you the most improvement in your photography.flickr® & Sdi

i've never killed a battery but since i will be leaving on vacation in the next couple of days....it saves me the hassle of having to take the charger around that often. plus i will need a travel adapter and so on.
also when i'm using it for my sister's wedding i won't have to worry about how much battery i have left after church before the wedding dinner and so on.

so do any of the 3rd party ones have any additional features other than the remote sensor?

Well, when I consider the larger lenses I have driven with the camera's power ... I really feel that you have little to worry about. The 70-200 and the 200-500 can really gobble some juice ... lesser sized lenses aren't even in the game.

Like I mentioned, the "full-feel" of a vertical grip gives you the best control on the camera I've ever experienced, short of the grip-strap you can use to "weld" the camera to your hand. That's really nice in large crowds ... when getting jostled is a serious consideration. Of course, I'm no midget. When I enter a crowd ... they are the ones who get jostled. LOL As it should be .... Muahahahahahaha

Last edited by DonSchap; 12-08-2008 at 12:43 PM.

Don Schap - BFA, Digital Photography A Photographer Is ForeverLook, I did not create the optical laws of the Universe ... I simply learned to deal with them.
Remember: It is usually the GLASS, not the camera (except for moving to Full Frame), that gives you the most improvement in your photography.flickr® & Sdi